Hi all. When you're checking oil levels for engine and gearbox, what do you use as a datum to ensure the car is indeed level? Naturally, a level driveway is ideal, but not always possible. So, where do you stick your spirit level; roofline, swage line on the door skin, under the sill?? Ta.

"where do you stick your spirit level?"
Best answer wins a prize

Literally: think laterally....PUT THE SPIRIT LEVEL ON THE GROUND !

Sid I think Paul has one the prize that you generously offered.

I think the question and answer belong in one of those puzzle books. Brilliant! FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 77k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)

Except that doesn't work when you know the ground isn't level and you have the car on "Camper" levelling wedges.

Personally, I don't worry that my drive is way off level because I've checked the oil level whilst in a level carpark and then compared the reading when at home and there's minimal difference. Unless it's close to the lower limit I don't worry.
And..... I have been driving Diesel cars since about 1993 and have never had to top up the oil on any of them between services. I think the low rpm nature of a Diesel means that oil consumption is very low to non existent. MY13 Santorini Black SD4 HSE

Indeed, all hilarious replies but it's a serious question as I'm about to change the auto box fluid so I need to make sure that the car is level.

I've done some very rough maths, and if I'm correct if you are on a 5 degree slope (roughly a 1 in 20) it'll make 0.5 mm difference to the reading on your dipstick.

So in other words, if the car looks about level, it'll be near enough for you not to be able to measure the difference.

I'm sure a proper engineer will be along shortly to put me straight though.

rpaterson wrote:

Indeed, all hilarious replies but it's a serious question as I'm about to change the auto box fluid so I need to make sure that the car is level.

Cheers dude.

Fill a measuring jug with water to 200 mill and a glass part filled with whiskey.

Take your car to local gearbox specialist, leave it with them and go home.

Once back home add a slight drop of water from the jug to the whiskey and drink. Keep repeating this until such time as you can no longer remember why you took said car anywhere. At least then you will be happy and also stop asking such anal questions.  FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

Our garage floor is level. The level needs to be at this front edge.

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

rpaterson wrote:

I'm about to change the auto box fluid so I need to make sure that the car is level.

But surely you'll need to jack the FL2 up to do this............  FL2 now gone and have a couple of items left for sale:-

Brodit active iPhone holder + Brodit dash clip,
Bluetooth Music Streaming Module.

Wow! I was pondering this exact same question on Friday night, tried the search facility but could find nothing relevant!

In my case it was because I thought the car was level and on level ground, but when I opened the fill plug on the rear diff I got a trickle of diff oil out. This is despite a leaking diff output oil seal and it being a few thousand miles since I last checked! Oil looks good, so I am pretty sure it is not filling up with Haldex oil. More likely that the car was not sitting as level as I thought. There was that earlier “things you didn’t know about your Freelander” article which mentioned some interesting things (some of which might even have been true!) but I don’t think it gave a level marker.

I’ve not checked on the IIDTOOL, but it might include inclinometer info? 2005 D3 2.7 Auto
Previously:
2010 MY FL2 TD4e GS - Now gone at 199,500 miles, about 135,000 of them mine.
‘93 Defender 110 200TDi CSW
‘87 Defender 90 4 cyl Petrol
‘83 110 CSW V8 - best ever!
Range Rover 2-door V8 (not sure of year - 4-speed box and vacuum diff switch)
Series III SWB Diesel

I have an App on my phone called "Bubble Level" which acts as a Spirit level. I lay the phone where Lightwater's photo shows his. Works well enough to get the car level(ish) for when I sleep in the back. It's quite surprising how UNlevel the car can be even though it looks level when you're up the top of a mountain where nothing is horizontal. MY13 Santorini Black SD4 HSE

To enable me to get my Motor Caravan level I bought a 2 way min spirit level.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-WAY-MINI-SPIR...2221389363

I then found a parking space where the floor of the m/caravan was level, and with a bit of glue and a few strips of card I installed the device on my dashboard, where I could see it as I moved the m/caravan into position.

Not sure about gearboxes, etc, but I sleep better when level. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 77k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)